Wait…I know that kid!

A punch in the gut. That’s how I felt when I saw a headline on the front page of our local newspaper a couple weeks ago. I saw the picture. I saw the name. At first, it didn’t hit me and then it did. I know that kid! I taught that kid! And now…he’s just been indicted by the grand jury for capital murder and assault charges in connection with the deaths of two people last year.

This is a kid who gave me so much trouble, when his mom forced him to come to school, which was only a couple days a week.

This is the kid who brought a gun to school and then I’m told by an administrator “It’s just a toy.”

This is a kid, who I tried desperately to make a connection with. To show him, he had all the potential in the world, but like we’ve all be told, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

This breaks my heart. Unfortunately, I’m not surprised by this. All I can do is pray. I pray for him, his family, and the families of those killed. I pray for all the teachers out there. I really do.